


Eyeing London

by m_s_b



Series: 30 Day Summer Challenge [3]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: 2000AU, Alternate Universe - College/University, Friendship, Gen, Teenlock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-18
Updated: 2014-07-18
Packaged: 2018-02-09 10:42:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1979790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/m_s_b/pseuds/m_s_b
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seb is willing to suffer to see Jim smile.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eyeing London

**Author's Note:**

> 2000AU drabble; prompt: sightseeing

_Where do you want to go now, Jimmy?_ Sebastian asked.

They visited the British Museum and now were walking down Victoria Embankment. Jim was looking around; his eyes, huge and shining with curiosity and excitement, absorbed the surroundings like a sponge. It was his first stay in London and the city, so similar and at the same time so different from Dublin, enchanted him. He expressed his love for it in the very tourist-liked manner, by wearing a cap and a T-shirt with the name of the city.

‘There,’ he pointed at a Ferris wheel, ‘I want to see the London Eye.’

Seb swallowed loudly. The London Eye wasn’t his favourite tourist spot. To be honest, it was his most hated spot in the entire city.

_O-Okay, we’ll go there._

He hoped that by seeing the London Eye Jim meant ‘let’s-look-at-it-from-a-safe-distance’.

 

‘Come on, Sebby,’ Jim pulled Sebastian’s hand, ‘We have to take place in the queue if we want to go on the ride.’

Seb reluctantly followed his friend. He felt sick at the thought of going up in the air in a small glass ball, but he didn’t want to spoil Jim’s pleasure - the boy was so excited about the whole thing and Seb took him here to cheer him up in the first place. Maybe he would manage - the trip wasn’t that long after all.

‘Smile, Sebby,’ Jim said happily. Sebastian managed to grin crookedly before the other boy took the photo of the two of them standing under the wheel. ‘Perfect,’ he smiled broadly to Seb and put the camera into a cover hanging on his neck. Sebastian gave him the camera and James, excited, snapped pictures of everything: monuments, building, pigeons, red telephone boxes and post boxes, but most of all, the pictures of them.

‘I want to remember everything about this trip,’ he explained to Seb, ‘and those pictures will be a wonderful reminder.’

 

Sebastian felt more and more anxious as the queue moved, but Jim didn’t notice that, babbling about how many screws were used for building the London Eye and other technical details. When their turn came, Seb was so petrified that he couldn’t move a muscle; James, unaware of the his friend’s state, pushed him into a capsule with a giggle.

Swallowing loudly, Sebastian looked around the capsule: all its walls were made of glass, making it transparent and even more terrifying.

 _You can do this, Sebastian_ , Seb thought, trying to muster his courage, _You have to do this for Jim_ , he glanced at his friend. Jim was standing with his nose pressed to glass wall, pure excitement painted on his face. Seb had never seen him like that.

When the capsule moved, James squealed with glee like a small child.

 

The view was simply marvellous. With his nose pressed to the glass wall and eyes wide with delight, Jim looked at the city lying below his feet. Thankfully, it was sunny that day, so the view was clear.

‘It’s wonderful, Sebby,’ James whispered, his eyes still fixed on the skyline in front of him, ‘Sebastian?’ he added when he didn’t get an answer. Still nothing. ‘Seb?’ Jim turned.

Sebastian was sitting on the floor, his back pressed to the wall. He was shaking and breathing heavily, his face hidden in his hands. People in the capsule looked at him strangely and moved away, giving him more space. When the capsule shook, the blond whimpered.

‘Sebby,’ Jim took a few steps, but he tripped and landed on his knees next to his friend, ‘Sebby,’ he squeezed Seb’s shoulder, ‘what’s wrong?’ But Sebastian only whimpered in response. ‘Sebby, please,’ James squeezed his friend’s shoulder even harder.

 _I... don’t... like... heights..._ Seb replied between desperate gasps for air.

‘Oh, Sebby,’ Jim murmured, suddenly understanding everything, ‘Don’t worry,’ he rubbed Seb’s back, ‘it won’t last much longer.’

 

For the rest of the ride Sebastian tried to somehow overcome his panic attack, Jim tried to calm his friend down and people in the capsula did their best to ignore the two (Seb was really glad about that). When their capsule reached the ground, Seb wobbled out of it, slightly dizzy, followed by worried Jim. Feeling oncoming wave of nausea, he steadied himself against the nearest litter bin. He took a few deep breaths, but it didn’t stop bile going up his throat. As he threw up, James soothingly rubbed his friend’s back.

‘You should have told me about your phobia, Sebby,’ he said when Sebastian wiped his mouth, his face pale and sweaty.

 _You were so excited about this ride,_ Seb replied, _and I didn’t want to ruin that for you. I thought I’d manage._

‘Oh, Seb,’ Jim smiled slightly, ‘You don’t have to do everything for me. If I knew you’re afraid of heights, I would never insist on visiting the London Eye in the first place.’

 _But-_ Sebastian started but Jim interrupted him.

‘Come,’ he grabbed Seb’s hand, ‘let’s sit somewhere. You should rest and I’m tired, too.’

 

They were sitting in Jubilee Gardens, eating lunch. Well, Jim was eating as Sebastian still felt a bit nauseous. Then again, drinking apple juice didn’t really count as eating, right?

‘How are you feeling, Seb?’ Jim was sitting cross-legged on the grass, sipping his juice slowly through a straw.

 _Much better,_ Seb was playing with a leaf of grass, _So,_ he looked at James, _what do you want to do next?_

‘I don’t know,’ Jim tilted his head, ‘And as my last idea turned out to be a really bad one-’

_Jim-_

‘-maybe we should stay on the ground?’

Sebastian sighed and looked around. He noticed a family of four; two children, a boy and a girl, smiling broadly and carrying helium balloons and stuffed toys - everything was marine-like. The blond smiled to himself.

_In that case, what would you say about going to London Aquarium?_

 

 


End file.
